


The Start of Something Beautiful

by JustAPassingGlance



Category: Glee
Genre: Gen, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-14
Updated: 2013-01-14
Packaged: 2018-03-07 19:55:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3181193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAPassingGlance/pseuds/JustAPassingGlance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time Blaine Devon Anderson dons a bow tie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Start of Something Beautiful

He was three when his cousin, Stephanie, got married. The event had caused a big controversy in the Anderson family because she had only just graduated college and was marrying a man she had only known for two years. The man in question had grown up on some sort of hippie commune and had long hair.

Blaine hadn’t really paid attention to all the politics of it, although Cooper frequently cited it as a prime example of how the family were a bunch of crazies. All Blaine had cared about was that it was a big party with the biggest and prettiest cake he had ever seen in his life  _and_ a chocolate fountain.

It was on that fateful June day that he had his first ever bowtie put on. (He still had it in the back of his closet; the navy silk as carefully cared for as the day it had been purchased.)

At first he was skeptical. The only time he ever worn clothes that nice was on Easter and Christmas and that was never very fun. Too much sitting and listening to people talk about things he didn’t understand. And the bowtie rested heavily on his little neck; how it wouldn’t strangle him he had no idea. But there was a man on TV who wore them all the time and according to Cooper he had been there forever.

During the ceremony he did his best not to squirm. His mother had continuously told him that all eyes were going to be on him since he was part of the wedding party and it was his responsibility to show everyone how an Anderson acted.

He made it through all the long and boring talking. The Glenwood’s all cried and the Andersons sat stony-faced, hardly able to hide their disdain. Blaine wasn’t sure which he was supposed to do, because Stacy was crying but she also looked happy and Cooper didn’t seem concerned, just bored. So he just smiled as wide as he could in hopes someone else would see him and smile too.

Finally he was allowed to walk back down the long aisle into the open arms of his mother who absently assured him he had acted perfectly. Stoically he stood and allowed her hands to flit around him; straightening his jacket and trying to smooth his hair. (His hair was a constant source of strife for his mother, but he quite liked it. It was big and bouncy and sometimes Coop would make his little plastic horses prance through it and they’d bet in gummies which one would jump the highest. Coop almost always won and when he did he’d split the gummies with Blaine but when he didn’t he refused to let Blaine share with him.)

When they got out to the car Blaine finally allowed himself to relax a little, relieved that he’d be able to change soon.

Except instead of driving home they drove out to the country club. Blaine had never been allowed there because ‘the Club is not the place for little boys,’ but not even the excitement about the pillars and statues that lined the walk and were so tall that Blaine had to tip his head back to look at them could eclipses his sense of disappointment at being stuck in those clothes _forever._

After they ate everyone was on the dance floor looking like they were having the time of their lives while Blaine stood off to the side and observed. He wasn’t really sure how he felt about dancing. Whenever he heard music he always really wanted to do it, even when his mother just hummed as she made dinner he couldn’t keep his head from bobbing along. But according to Coop he still had a lot to learn and his sense of rhythm was confused.

He wished he was dancing, even if he did it all wrong, because at least that would be better then waiting for the tie on his neck to strangle him. (It hadn’t succeeded yet, but he’d been monitoring it carefully all evening and noticed it got tighter whenever Kenney’s five year old nephew looked at him.)

Giving it a couple of half hearted tugs, he sighed and wondered if anyone would notice if he took it off.

“Everything okay there, Blainers?”

“Don’t like it,” he muttered distractedly as he continued to fidget with it.

“Why not?” A hand reached out to still his and he looked up into Stephanie’s big green eyes. Gently, Stephanie placed his hands by his side and set to work straightening out his bowtie. “I think you look very handsome.”

Blaine stilled. “Really?” No one had ever called him handsome before. Cooper was handsome. Blaine, on the other hand, was a  _perfect gentleman_ , and  _such an angel_ , sometimes he could even be  _adorable_  but never handsome.

“The most handsome man in the room,” Stephanie assured him seriously. “Don’t you agree?” She turned to look behind her where Cooper was standing, looking down at them in amusement.

“Wha-? I mean I dunno if I’d say  _most_ -” He stumbled over his words, not having planned on taking part in the conversation at all. He was only there because he had been worried about Blaine being on his own and had gone over to make sure he was okay. “-handsome in the whole  _room_  more like the entire state!” He switched tracks abruptly, caving under the combined stern glare of his cousin and the downcast heartbroken look of his brother. It wasn’t that he wanted to be mean to Blaine (well, most of the times. They were still siblings after all) he just wanted him to be the best he could be and its not like their parents were home enough to make sure that happened.

Blaine positively beamed. “Really, Coop? The whole entire state? Even more han’some than people in Cinnatti?”

“Yeah, squirt. Even more handsome than people in Cincinnati.” He shook his head in amusement. “Now what are you doing over here by yourself? Don’t you want to dance?”

“With you?” Blaine practically pleaded, eyes going wide. “And Steffie? Even if I have no ri-th-um?” He tried to pronounce the word as carefully as possible.

“Abso-posit-tutely,” Stephanie sang at him, grabbing one of his hands and twirling him around.  “If you really don’t want to wear the bowtie though, we can take it off. And if your parents ask we can tell them I stole it because I wanted one of my own. And they can’t get mad at me because it’s my wedding day.”

Tentatively Blaine stroked at the fabric around his neck. He still wasn’t positive it wouldn’t kill him, but both his cousin  _and_ Cooper thought he looked good in it and they were the two best looking people he knew.

“It’s okay. I can keep it on.” He put on his most charming smile and looked up at his brother, “And Coopy? Can we maybe go buy more tomorrow?”


End file.
